Flush mounted cleat



June 1963 R. LIPPINCOTT 3,

FLUSH MOUNTED CLEAT Filed May 9, 1962 INVENTOR. ROBE/FT L. L/PP/NCOTT ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to flush mounted cleats and more particularly to a cleat for fastenin ro es cables and the like on boats. g p

The cleats presently available'for boats are fixedly mounted and frequently are at locations where there is a tendency to trip over the same. It has heretofore been proposed to provide collapsible cleats or mountings for cleats These have not proven satisfactory.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a cleat body which is flush mounted on the deck or hull of a boat, which can be quickly and easily moved to a position for use, and which can, if desired, be returned to flush mounted position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleat for boats and the like which is simple yet sturdy in construction and which can be made of corrosion resistant materials.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleat for boats and the like of the character aforesaid wh ch is made of a relatively small number of parts and :YhlCh requires a minimum of machining for its compleron.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleat body for movement with respect to a housing from a flush mounted to an operating position, and in which the movable portion of the cleat substantial-1y closes the opening in the housing in either position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cleat body for movement with respect to a mounting housing in which a self seating pivotally mounted locking plate is employed which is norm-ally flushwith the outer face of the mounting housing and of the outer face of the cleat body in the flush condition of the cleat body.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a cleat in accordance with the invention in its flush mounted or out of use position;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the cleat of FIG. 1 in its elevated position for use;

3,093,106 Patented June 11, 1963 ice having an upper face 11 which is adapted to be mounted flush with the outer surface 12 of the deck 13 or the like on which the cleat is used. 7

- The face plate 10 has an elongaed opening 14 with side margins 15-, and an end margin 16. The side mar- .gins 15 have opposite outwardly curved and beveled portions 17 for access by the fingers of the user. At the end opposite the end margin 16 a locking plate 18 is provided pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 19-. The locking plate 18 has an end face '20 and has sidewise extending wings 21-which seat in sockets 22 in the plate 10. The plate 18 at one end can be beveled as at 18a. The plate 18 has the center of gravity thereof offset from the pivot pin 19 towards thewings 21-so that the plate 18 is normally urged to flat horizontal condition with the wings 21 seated in the sockets 22 unless displaced as hereinafter pointed out- The face plate 10, on the underside thereof, has downwardly extending ribs 23 and 24 with opposite grooves 25 extending therebetween.

The deck 13 has an opening 26 for the reception of a cleat housing 27 which is secured to the plate 10 by screws 28 which extend into threaded holes 29 in the housing 27. Openings 30 in the plate 10 have screws 31 therein to hold the plate 10 in place on the deck 13.

The cleat housing 27 is'in the form of a box open at the top with a bottom wall 32', opposite panallel side walls 33 and curved end'walls 34 connecting the side walls 33.

The upper parts of the side walls 33 have grooves providing aligned shelves 35, 36 and 37 with opposite vertical slots 38 and 39ftherebetween. The shelves 317 serve for FIG. 3 is a top plan view with the cleat body in lowered or flush mounted position with part of the mounting plate broken away to show the details of construction of the housing and cleat body;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the cleat body in its elevated position for use;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary Vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken approximately on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cleat in accordance with the invention.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in

which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, provided an elongated flush mounting face plate 10 1s engagement by the ribs 23 while the shelves 235 at the outer end portions thereof are engaged by the ribs 23.

The cleat body 40 has a top plate 41' which in the lowered condition has the'topface 42 thereof flush with the plate 10. The top plate '41 has a locking end face 43 and is of increasing thickness toward the center. The plate 41 has a vertical central section 44 integral therewith with 'a lower guide plate 45 parallel to the top plate 41 and received between the side Wails 33. The guide plate 45 has a locking end face .46. I

The guide plate 45 has extending transversely therebelow opposite pairs of cleat feet 47 and 48 which are received respectively in thesl-ots 38 and 3 9 respectively when the cleat body 40 is lowered. The cleat feet 47 and 48 in the elevated portion of the cleat body 40 rest respectively on the shelves 35 and 36. i The top plate 41 and the central section 44 have curved and undercut gripping faces 49 on each side accessible for gripping at the curved and beveled portions 17.

The mode of operationwill now be pointed out.

In the downwardly disposed or flush mounted condition of the cleat body 40, the cleat feet 47 and 48 are at the lower ends of the slots 38 and 39. The top face 42 of the top plate 41 of the cleat body 40 is flush with the upper face 11 of the face plate, 10. The locking plate 18 is in flat condition with its locking end face 20 in engagement with the locking end face 43 of the top plate 41. The cleat body 40 will remain in its lowered position, aided by the weight of the cleast body 40.

If now it is desired to raise the cleat body 40 to its position for use the operator inserts the thumb on one side and one finger on the other side at the beveled portions 17 and grasps the gripping faces 49.

The cleat body 40 is now raised, guided by the cleat feet 47 and 48 in the slots 38 and 39 and the cleat feet U until the locking end face 46 just clears the locking end face 20 of the locking plate 18 which drops to its flat position with the wings 21 engaged in the sockets 22. At the same time the opposite end of the lower guide plate 45 abuts against the ends of the grooves 25.

The cleat body 40 is thus locked and held in its upper position ready for use.

If at any time it is desired to lower the cleat body 40 the locking plate 18 is manually tilted to move the end face 20 thereof out of engagement with the end face 43. The cleart body 40 can then be moved by a reversal of the operations previously described so that the cleat feet 47 and 48 can be lowered in the slots 38 and 39 and the cleat body 40 lowered to the position first described. The face 42 will then be flush with the face 11 so that no obstruction is provided by the cleat body 40.

I claim:

1. A cleat comprising a housing, a face plate from which said housing extends having an outer face, a cleat body having an inner position with respect to said housing for storage and an outer position for use offset sidewise with respect to said inner position, said cleat body having an outer elongated portion and an inner elongated portion with a central connecting section therebetween, said inner pontion of said cleat body having sidewise projecting cleat feet, said housing having aligned shelf portions for the reception of said cleat feet in its outer position and slots for reception of said cleat feet at its inner position, said slots being offset sidewise from said shelf portions, and a member at said face plate and engageable with a portion of said cleat body for releasably locking said cleat body in its outer position with said cleat feet on said shelf portions.

2. A cleat as defined in claim 1 in which said cleat body has a portion engageable by said last member for releasably engaging a portion of said cleat body in its inner position.

3. A cleat as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is a pivotally mounted plate.

4. A cleat as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is a plate having a pivotal mounting and said plate has the center of gravity to one side of the pivotal axis urging said plate to fiat position.

5. A cleat as defined in claim 1 in which said housing has side walls with said shelf portions formed thereon and said slots are between said shelf portions and normal thereto.

6. A cleat comprising a housing having side walls with interior horizontal shelves therealong and vertical interior slots intersecting said shelves, a face plate detachably secured to said housing, a cleat body having an inner position with respect to said housing for storage and an outer position for use, said cleat body having an outer elongated portion with an end face and an inner elongated portion with a centnal connecting section therebetween, said inner portion having an end face, said inner portion having sidewise projecting cleat feet for engagement with said shelves at the outer position of said cleat body and for movement along said slots to and from the outer position thereof, a locking plate pivotally mounted on said face plate and having an end face for respective engagement with said end faces of said cleat body in inner and outer positions of said cleat body.

7. A cleat comprising a housing, a face plate from which said housing extends having an outer face, a cleat body having an inner position with respect to said housing for storage and an outer position for use, said cleat body having an outer elongated portion and an inner elongated portion with a central connecting section therebetween, said inner portion of said cleat body having sidewise projecting cleat feet, said housing having aligned shelf portions for the reception of said cleat feet in its outer position and slots for reception of said cleat feet at its inner position and a member accessible at said face plate and engageable with a portion of said cleat body for releasably locking said cleat body in its outer position, said face plate being detachably secured to said housing and said last member being pivotally carried on said face plate.

8. A cleat comprising a housing, a face plate from which said housing extends having an outer face, a cleat body having an inner position with respect to said housing for storage and an outer position for use, said cleat body having an outer elongated portion and an inner elongated portion with a central connecting section therebetween, said inner portion of said cleat body having sidewise projecting cleat feet, said housing having aligned shelf portions for the reception of said cleat feet in its outer position and slots for reception of said cleat feet at its inner position and a member accessible at said face plate and engageable with a portion of said cleat body for releasably locking said cleat body in its outer position, said face plate and said housing having grooves therebetween for slidable movement of said feet from positions engaging said shelves to positions for movement into said slots.

9. A cleat comprising a housing, a face plate from which said housing extends having an outer face, a cleat body having an inner position with respect to said housing for storage and an outer position for use, said cleat body having an outer elongated portion and an inner elongated portion with a central connecting section therebetween, said inner portion of said cleat body having sidewise projecting cleat feet, said housing having aligned shelf portions for the reception of said cleat feet in its outer position and slots for reception of said cleat feet at its inner position and a member accessible at said face plate and engageable with a portion of said cleat body for releasably locking said cleat body in its outer position, said face plate and said housing having grooves therebetween bounded in part by said shelves for slidable movement of said feet, and said slots intersecting said grooves for movement of said feet out of said grooves to their inner positions.

1,299,529 Young Apr. 8, 1919 

1. A CLEAT COMPRISING A HOUSING, A FACE PLATE FROM WHICH SAID HOUSING EXTENDS HAVING AN OUTER FACE, A CLEAT BODY HAVING AN INNER POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOUSING FOR STORAGE AND AN OUTER POSITION FOR USE OFFSET SIDEWISE WITH RESPECT TO SAID INNER POSITION, SAID CLEAT BODY HAVING AN OUTER ELONGATED PORTION AND AN INNER ELONGATED PORTION WITH A CENTRAL CONNECTING SECTION THEREBETWEEN, SAID INNER PORTION OF SAID CLEAT BODY HAVING SIDEWISE PROJECTING CLEAT FEET, SAID HOUSING HAVING ALIGNED SHELF 